Do you think Jackson is more of a hero or a villain

for democracy? Why?

BELL RINGER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkdF8pOFUfI

RISE OF A MASS DEMOCRACY

VAN BUREN IS NO JACKSONMartin Van Buren was

selected to be Jackson’s successor; easily defeated the disorganized Whigs

Van Buren was very smart, crafty, experienced, and effective, but he lacked the "people's touch" and personality of a Jackson.

Was the first “American-born” president

THE $PE¢IE ¢IR¢ULAR Growing concerns over over-speculation of

former Indian land People were buying land with state-printed

paper money not backed by silver or gold (specie)

Specie Circular Ordered under Andrew Jackson at the end of his

administration Required that government owned land be

purchased using hard specie. Devalued paper money, which caused wild

inflation

PANIC OF 1837Causes of the Panic Over-speculation, especially in

land. Andrew Jackson's bank policies

(Bank War) and resultant chaos  Jackson's "specie circular" hurt

as well. The failure of crops helped the

Panic. Failure of two major banks in

England and the reverberations across the ocean.

Van Buren is blamed, even though he did not create the problems

DEPRESSION FOR VAN BURENThe Whigs proposed

expanding bank credit, higher tariffs, and money for internal expansion to fix the Panic.

Van Buren's "Divorce Bill“: Set up an "independent treasury" where extra government money would be kept in vaults, not in the banks. This would give the government stability independent of the whims of the banking world.

The Lone Star Rebellion

GONE TO TEXAS!

Mexico sought to entice Southern planters to move to the struggling Tejas Territory.

Stephen Austin is granted land to bring wealthy American families to Tejas.Rules for the “Old 300”

they must become Mexican citizensthey must become Catholicno slavery was allowed

Animosity between settlers and the Mexican government under President/General Antonio López de Santa Anna came to a head over the issues of slavery and religion.

The defeat of the Texians at the Alamo and cruelty by Santa Anna inspired many Americans to join the fight for Texas; Remember the Alamo!

Ended at the battle of San Jacinto; created the Republic of Texas.

Five months after winning their independence from Mexico, the citizens of Texas voted for annexation – absorption – by the United States.

Denied entrance for nine years Wanted to enter as a slave state Would tip the Senate balance

President Tyler signed a resolution in 1845 that invited Texas to become the 28th state in America.

ELECTION OF 1840 Martin Van Buren was re-

nominated by the Democratic party In trouble due to the Panic of

1837 The Whigs nominated

William Henry Harrison Would attract votes for his

background as a military hero

The election dealt more with personalities and hoopla than with issues.

Tippecanoeand Tyler too!

• Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!: Harrison’s nickname was Old Tippecanoe for his success over the Indians at the Battle of Tippecanoe

• Newspapers lampooned Harrison as a poor old farmer who should be content with a pension, log cabin, and a barrel of hard cider.

• Whigs took on this insult as a badge of honor – that he was a “man of the people” – and painted VB as a pompous aristocrat.

THE PEOPLE’S POLITICSThe “New Democracy” (an

effect of Jacksonian Democracy)Respected men who rose up

from poverty, not born elite.Common men voted for men

like themselves due to universal white male suffrage

Men from the frontier were elected for their “real-world” know-how; called “coonskin Congressmen” (e.g. Davy Crockett)

MARTIN VAN BURENDates in Office: 1837-1841Nickname: “Little Magician”Political Party: DemocraticMajor Events:Panic of 1837Divorce BillTexas Revolution

WILLIAM HENRY HARRISONDates in Office: 1841Nickname: “Old Tippecanoe”Political Party: WhigMajor Events:He was the first President to die in office (forced us to figure out Presidential succession)

A PRESIDENT WITHOUT A PARTYChanges under the

Whigs The independent

treasury system was ended.

Suggested a "Fiscal Bank," which would establish a new Bank of the United States ; Tyler vetoed it. 

Suggested a "Fiscal Corporation“; Tyler vetoed it.

John Tyler: a Democrat at heart and contradicted many of the Whig Party ideas.

President Tyler was rejected by his former Whig Party.

A WAR OF WORDS WITH BRITAIN Caroline Affair: An American ship, the

Caroline, was attacked, set ablaze, and sent over Niagara Falls by a British-Canadian force. 

Creole Case: British officials in the Bahamas offered asylum to 130 Virginia slaves who had rebelled and captured the American ship Creole.

“Aroostook War”: clash between American and British lumberjacks in disputed Maine territory

In all three cases, Washington officials made ineffective protests against the attacks. 

Webster-Ashburton Treaty: Solved conflicts between Britain and the US; settled the boundary between Canada and Maine.

Webster-Ashburton TreatyCeded by Britain

(1842)

JOHN TYLERDates in Office: 1841 - 1845Nickname: “The Accidental President”Political Party: WhigMajor Events: First born under the current

Constitution First Presidential Succession Expelled from the Whig party Annexation of the Republic of

Texas Aroostook War Webster-Ashburton Treaty

ELECTION OF 1844

WHIGS - HENRY CLAY DEMOCRATS - JAMES K. POLK

Straddled the issue whether or not to annex Texas.

Said he would protect Texas; he avoided the issue of slavery.

The annexation of Texas would be the biggest issue in the election of 1844.

GOALS OF JAMES K. POLK A lower tariff 

Walker Tariff of 1846: a tariff-for-revenue bill that reduced the rates of the Tariff of 1842 from 32% to 25%.

Restore the independent treasury

The settlement of the Oregon dispute without violence

Acquisition of California

OREGON FEVER Dispute between US

and Britain over Oregon Territory

About 5,000 Americans followed the Oregon Trail to settle the area.

American settlers were willing to go to war over the territory – “54°40’, or fight!”

54°40’ OR FIGHT!

TEXAS AND CALIFORNIA“Big States”

(51:50-56:00)

MEXICAN AMERICAN WAR Polk wanted to buy California from

Mexico for $25 million . Offer rejected due to anger over Texas.

Polk ordered 4,000 men under General Zachary Taylor to the Rio Grande to “protect American interests”, and asked Congress for a declaration of war. 

Mexican troops attacked American troops that night and war was declared.

MEANWHILE….. THE BEAR FLAG REPUBLIC American settlers in California, under

the leadership of John C. Frémont, were seeking their independence from Mexico.

The revolt lasted 26 days, at the end of which the U.S. Army arrived to occupy the area.

Once the leaders of the revolt knew the United States was claiming the area, they disbanded their "republic" and supported the U.S. federal effort to annex California

RESULTS OF THE MEXICAN AMERICAN WAR Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: Gave Texas

and California to America for a cost of $15 million.  Yes, we’d already annexed TX, but Mexico finally accepted that it was ours.

The Mexican War brought about the conflict of slavery between the states. 

Wilmot Proviso – David Wilmot proposed the amendment that stated that the territory from Mexico should remain slave-free.  Crushed by Southerners in the Senate.

CALIFORNIA JOINS THE UNION 1848 – Gold is

discovered in California The overall result of the

Gold Rush was that California had enough people to bypass the territorial stage and become a state almost overnight.

Wanted to join as a free state

Would have disrupted the 15-15 balance in the Senate

COMPROMISE OF 1850 Stricter Fugitive Slave Law (“Bloodhound

Bill”): No testifying or jury trial, whites that aided escapees fined or jailed, $5 for freedom-$10 for return for officials.

Popular sovereignty in Mexican Cession lands (negates MO Comp.)

Admission of CA as a free state The slave trade was abolished in D.C.,

symbolically shows that the nation is taking a stance on the subject

MANIFEST DESTINY: COMPLETE The Gadsden Purchase: A thin strip of

land purchased from Mexico to complete southern Arizona and New Mexico

It was purchased for the intent of building a trans-continental railroad.

Best Treaty in the World!

END

NOTABLE TEXIANS

JIM BOWIE SAM HOUSTON

Presumed inventor of the murderous knife that bears his name.

Leader of early Texas rebels.

Later governor of Texas

Born on a mountain top in Tennessee

The greenest state in the land of the free

Raised in the woods so's he knew ev'ry tree

Kilt him a b'ar when he was only three

Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier

FrontiersmanSoldierCongressmanFolk-hero

Final statement on his Congressional defeat

“Since you have chosen to elect a man with a timber toe to succeed me, you may all go to hell and I will go to Texas.”